A war of words has broken out between Boris Johnson and Tucker Carlson over claims the former prime minister was willing to debate a controversial right-wing journalist for $1 million.
Mr. Carlson, who met with President Vladimir Putin this month, said Mr. Johnson demanded a seven-figure sum for a sit-down interview about the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
But Mr Johnson has disputed Mr Carlson’s account as “false”, with supporters of the former prime minister taking part in the interview as Mr Carlson asks for a $1 million donation to a charity for Ukrainian veterans. He claims that he offered to do so.
Mr Johnson is believed to have withdrawn following the killing of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Carlson has been ridiculed in recent weeks for his support for President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin, with videos praising Russian shopping carts and praising Moscow’s subway system.
The remarks came after the former Fox News host gave a flirtatious two-hour interview with the authoritarian Russian leader.
Mr Johnson attacked Mr Carlson’s interview with President Putin, saying it came out of “Hitler’s playbook”.
He said American broadcasters were “the agents of a tyrant, the dictator’s dictator, and the traitors to journalism.”
And in one column, Email+Carlson accused the Russian leader of betraying “viewers and audiences around the world” by not taking on a mission to “torture, rape and bomb a kindergarten” in Ukraine, adding: “Mr. Carlson will never try again. This is to stop the flow of lies that he pointed out that he did not do so. ”
Dialogue with right-wing groups The BlazeCarlson fired back at the former chancellor.
“Boris Johnson, who was British prime minister for a short time, calls me a Kremlin stooge or something,” he said.
Furthermore, he added: So I asked Boris Johnson for an interview. He has done so many times, because he constantly accuses me of being a Kremlin agent. He said no. “
Mr Carlson said he had contacted “a number of people who know Boris Johnson” and was told “but it would cost $1 million”.
“I said to the guy…I just interviewed President Vladimir Putin. I’m not going to defend Putin, but Putin didn’t ask for a million dollars. I mean, Boris Johnson Does that mean he’s much meaner than Vladimir Putin?
“Which one is true?”
A spokesman for Mr Johnson said: “This account is false.”
Mr Carlson also mocked Mr Johnson, whose real name is Alexander Boris de Pfeffer Johnson.
“His name isn’t actually Boris…his name is Alex Johnson. He called himself Boris in high school. So this guy calling himself Boris is accusing me? ” he added.